LATEST EPISODE:
Chop & Brew – Episode 28: AHA Wort Rally Beer Tasting Notes

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-PtdvXkmFw&w=420&h=315]

Chip is joined by a krewe of Chop & Brew All-Stars to taste four different beers made from the same Double Black IPA wort. The wort was brewed for and given to them by Lucid Brewing Company at the American Homebrewers Association Wort Rally on Big Brew Day 2014. The discussion includes tips on dry hopping, yeast strain selection, and fermentation temperatures.
[Original postdate: August 7, 2014]
Related Links:
AHA/Lucid Brewing Wort Rally Double Black IPA Recipe
American Homebrewers Association
Lucid Brewing Company
Chop & Brew Online Superstore

203 Comments

    • chopandbrew

      The shot may have been deceiving. They are normal length, just wrapped around themselves inside the cooler. Or is that what you were assuming? They are not just half-foot or whatever it mean have appeared. Does that clear it up… but if anything I just confused myself.

      • Seth

        ah gotcha! yeah i’m running close to 10ft lines which also are wrapped upon themselves. i was thinking you were doing work with half-foot and that is crazy talk.

    • Eric

      I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one of the limited release 6 packs. My impressions – typical dark dried fruit flavors of dates and prunes that you get in almost all Belgian dark strong except it has less alcohol heat. It is still warming from the high ABV but the lack of solventy heat promotes more sugar in the nose, almost like smelling cane or turbinado sugar. What is really unique is a bouquet and finish of oranges which compliments the dark fruit leaving the impression of the holiday candy of dried clementine oranges covered in dark chocolate. I likened it to Rochefort 10 plus candied oranges. Great to have Westy 12 off my bucket list.

  2. Dave M

    Chip the reason I like your videos so much is I feel like we’ve paralleled in our expansion of brewing knowledge and techniques. I was really bummed to see you leave NB, but frankly I’m almost more excited to see you doing your solo project since you don’t have the same limitations or restrictions. Keep up the good work my man, and if you come out with a BLAAM! line of merchandise put me on the list!

  3. Tricky

    Chip, Dave M is on to something. Get crackin’ on the merchandise so you can support this crazy video habit of yours. Charlie P need to be on a t-shirt too. BLAAM!

  5. Josh S.

    +1 on a contribution page, merch and more videos!! Really missed you guys and it was nice to hear from everyone again. I especially miss videos covering brew days and zwei houndschen! Looking forward to more Chop and Brew.

  6. Björn Vildljung

    As a Swedish national I have easy access to Belgium (12h drive) and have some nice Westy 8&12 in my lager… I have tasted a 4yo Westy 12 earlier and realy liked it.
    If you could get your hands on it, Kaggen Stormaktsporter is another rare beer I have tasted and it sure deservs it’s fame.

  8. ED C

    Please keep this up Chip, youre the glue that keeps it together and alot of people enjoy the work of this trio. Come to Philly for the NHC and hang with us…

  11. Daniel

    Mike, Jake, and Chip,

    Thanks for getting back online…I look forward to your new podcast. You definitely opened up the world of brewing to me. I’m on my way to All Grain brewing once I get a few more odds and ends in place. Keep passing on the knowledge and experience you have from the world of beer.

    Thank you!

  12. bodfishwill

    Thanks for getting the “band” back together!! You guys are solely responsible for getting me back into brewing after early failed attempts.

    Participating in an IPA tasting with 15 other brewers on Feb 1st. My contribution:

    The R.I.P.A.:
    Boil Size: 7.37 gal
    Post Boil Volume: 6.24 gal
    Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
    Bottling Volume: 4.25 gal
    Estimated OG: 1.072 SG
    Estimated Color: 5.6 SRM
    Estimated IBU: 79.7 IBUs
    Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
    Est Mash Efficiency: 86.4 %
    Boil Time: 60 Minutes

    Ingredients:
    ————
    Amt Name Type # %/IBU
    8 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 61.8 %
    3 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 2 21.8 %
    1 lbs Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 3 7.3 %
    1 lbs Rye, Flaked (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 7.3 %
    2.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt – 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 5 0.9 %
    2.0 oz Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 6 0.9 %
    1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] – Boil 60.0 min Hop 7 29.2 IBUs
    1.00 oz Nugget [13.00 %] – Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 37.9 IBUs
    1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 9 –
    1.00 oz Crystal [3.50 %] – Boil 15.0 min Hop 10 5.1 IBUs
    1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] – Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 7.6 IBUs
    1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 Yeast 12 –
    1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] – Dry Hop 0.0 Day Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
    1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] – Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs

    Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body
    Total Grain Weight: 13 lbs 12.0 oz
    —————————-
    Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
    Mash In Add 19.70 qt of water at 172.1 F 156.0 F 75 min
    Mash Out Add 8.01 qt of water at 211.1 F 170.0 F 10 min

    Bottled 1/11/13

  13. Eric

    Miss BTV w/ Chip, Keeler and Dawson! Glad I found these blogs to try to get the brewing fix… Now need more brewing or excursion videos to get me through those slow Fridays!!! ha-ha. Cheers!

  14. Dean

    Good to see you boys back together…..big reason why i got into home brewing up here in Calgary,Alberta Canada.Best beer show any where and yes get a members group going and i would be glad to make a donation to your cause.Brew for Alllllllllll.

  15. mwond

    the three musketeers ride again
    we need a new anthem u know like brew for all/all for brew
    i would come up with one but i drank to much beer
    i also would be willing to pay for content/stuff
    i don’t know if u guys were aware of this but we loved u guys we nb and want u guys back at full speed

  16. td

    Awesome to see you guy back… really miss the old BTV-type stuff w/ JK, MD, Chip!! I’d contribute $. You 3 inspired me to take homebrew to the next level. Thx!

  17. Gkhodge

    Really great to see the three of you together on a beer related video – more please. Hopefully occasionally making a brew or visiting breweries/brewpubs will work out – if you can figure out a marketing plan to support the operation. I know that I would support it.

  18. Scott AuBuchon

    I’d like to add further support and appreciation. I faithfully watched every episode of brewing tv, and learned an immeasurable amount from that series. I admire the three of you for evolving and finding your own individual paths. I’m just glad that you are able to converge every now and then. I evolved from extract to partial-mash to all grain all while following your videos on northern brewer and really look forward to your output here. Good luck to all of you and Thanks again!

  19. Dan

    The band is back together!!! i’m looking forward to seeing some more videos! Anything related to beer and food, or both is a winner.

    Thank Chip.

  20. Michael WM

    Charlie P. on a shirt – I’d buy one.

    Coming from one who did not and probably won’t have the opportunity to try Westy 12, thanks for the tasting notes, Chip.

  21. Ryan H

    So, being about 6 months behind on the BTV vids, I nearly crapped my pants when I heard the NB crew was no more. One of our newest homebrew club’s members informed me. Immediately Google’d your names and found this site via homebrewtalk. I can relax again. Looking forward to some new stuff from you guys. You can definitely count on my continued support. I can’t thank you guys enough for everything you’ve taught me. Get crackin’ on the Chop and Brew merch.

  22. Jonathan from Chicago

    It is awesome to see you three together! You did not get me into homebrewing, you just made it a lot more fun. I write in response to the question (7:31 in the video) about “untouchable” beers, or maybe “near-unattainable” beers. I am very happy to live within 5 miles of Three Floyds and have had more than a few opportunities to try the annual Dark Lord release. Like the comments you made in the video, the hype, mystery, scarcity, and legend of the beer makes it hard to describe. Wish you all the best, and now that I have found your (3) blogs will be checking in more often.

    • Jonathan from Chicago

      (My above comment was made about the “Westvleteren XII” video. I may have put it on the home page instead of under the video itself. My mistake.)

  24. David Ray

    glad to see you back, at it. be nice to see videos relating to home brewing again, and it will be cool to see some food related ones to! you should definitely look into merchandise.
    GOOD LUCK!!

  25. Dan Walsh

    It’s great to see you three guys again. As odd and creepy as it may sound, I missed you guys. Your “other podcast” was great, and I’m not sure why you left “that place”, but I’m really happy to see that you guys are still at it. I’ve learned a lot from you guys, and will continue to follow your blogs, thanks.

  26. Craig Esper

    It’d be really interesting if you explored the lacto-fermentation of food (pickles/kraut) in your new webcast… a small hobby of mine which predates my efforts in brewing. There’s not a ton of info out there on it and I think I learned more about it from brewing beer than anything else. I’m looking forward to watching the Chop and Brew webcasts… especially since I miss Brew TV. Keep up the good work!

  28. bigpappadash

    That felt good…
    Glad to see you in front of the camera again Chip. You should head down to Kansas City Missouri, check out Boulevard Brewing Co. and highlight some of Kansas City’s barbecue. My buddies and I were always waiting for that episode of Brewing TV to come around.

  29. Alex

    Charlie P owes you a commission. Your endorsement of his books convinced me to order both of them. I went ahead and splurged and also bought Garret Oliver’s Oxford Companion to Beer, too.

  32. Matt

    Have you ever tried pouring your top-off water over the hops you strain out? It’s a good way to rinse off a bit of wort that they soak up.

  33. KGF

    Glad your out their doing your thing Chip. BTV had turned into a N.B. infomercial anyhow. “Chop and brew for me and you”

  34. mrbostwick

    Hey Chip – good to see you keepin at it. Question … does using the tap water to top off the fermenter ever cause bacteria/sanitation problems. I was always told not to use tap to rinse spoons/beer thiefs/thermometers, etc that I was dipping into fermenter because of latent bacteria in water – but hell, you’re using it!

    • chopandbrew

      I bought bottled water for my first three batches back in the day and then forgot to buy it before brewing on batch four and just said “eff it, I’ll use tap water.” I’ve been topping off with tap water ever since. Granted, I have always lived places with great tap water. I have never had a beer go wrong. Tap that ass!

      • Gkhodge

        Just be clear for those with chlorinated water to run it through a charcoal filter or add some Campden tablets to the water for a few minutes – that chlorine and chloramine can really affect a batch! Just sayin…..great stuff, Chip.

  35. Jonnysoups

    Great to see you back on The Internets! Thanks for continuing to produce some fantastic homebrew entertainment!
    Have you ever thought of doing something like an amazon associate program to earn some beer (ingredient) money on your recommendation links? From the comments, it looks like a few purchases were made. I know a lot of podcasts and indie shows do that, and I think lots of people would love to painlessly support the show if it’d help you get it out to us. Just a viewer hoping to continue to view! Keep it up.

    • chopandbrew

      I heard about the Amazon program for the first time last night at a club meeting of the Noreast Brewers Alliance. It sounds smart. Working on getting a few episodes out there first, but would love to look into ways to make some production funds for the show. Gonna need some more hard drives and would love a basic lighting kit. Thanks for the double-down on the suggestion!

  37. rand3rd

    Chop for chop.Brew for brew.
    Good work on the video Chip and good to see you back at it.Keep them coming.
    If you do start merchandising im in for a shirt or 2.

  38. Ryan h.

    Glad to see your back at the video / brew casting gig. Nice work as always. As nice as it must have been having NB bankroll BTV, it is great to see you continuing on out of love and passion for good homemade food and brews.

    After just entering my Lil’ Red Riding Hoodlum (American red ale) into a Cali competition, it was great to see a couple of other fresh takes on the style.

    As for a show idea on the CHOP side… How about pork belly and lots of it! Home cured bacon, pancetta, rendering lard, sweet smoked bacon, savory juniper berry and garlic bacon. Did someone say Schezwan style bacon? Yes, yes I did. Gemme a shout if you would like some research assistance as I miss ordered some belly and am making my way through 60 pounds of the stuff. SIX – ZERO – #S!

    • chopandbrew

      Bacon is coming up in Episode 02. And down the road we’re looking at an episode with my buddy Chef Zander Dixon who plans to do a hop-glazed pork loin using five or six different hops in separate glazes!

  39. Paul

    GREAT to see that you are BACK. Tracked you down after not seeing more BTV stuff, but glad that (1) you are linking to Vimeo and (2) adding the chop portion.
    Looking forward to the pairings.

  40. tim

    very well done on the makin bacon episode!!! loving your show,only one down fall. I WANT MORE OF IT!!! lol. great job chip!

  41. Dan

    Mmmm, bacon and beer. I can think of very few things I love more. Keep up the good work, buddy, looking forward to more vids.

  43. TOMAS

    Chip, like my homeboy Money Mike would say, “your a sick fool!” freakin’ awesome to see your blog up Bro! MAD props MAN! I’m inspired. PEACE!

  44. Matt

    No matter how much I drank when you weren’t releasing any content I was always thirsty but now your back my thirst is quenched, any change of you doing a belgian wit brew day?

  45. Jeff

    So awesome that I found ChopandBrew. I used to home brew a lot way back in the mid 1990s.. Got a lot of friends brewing, going to their place and brewing with them. Moved, got divorced, moved again. Lost a lot of equipment and have not brewed since 1996! Just started again in January 2013! So good to be back. Son & me are having a blast. Found BrewingTV in Feb. Went through most of the episodes. Was dissapointed to see that no more were forthcoming. I was worried. Then I found this! W00t! Mad props is right! Will def buy some shirts, and other items as they become available. Keep up the great work! Peace!

    • chopandbrew

      I’m glad you found Chop & Brew, too, Jeff! That is very awesome to hear about you and your son. I love it when family members find homebrewing a worthwhile effort. Very nice. Maybe some merch could be available in the future!

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  49. brewfish

    First, let me thank you for keeping this concept alive and not letting it die with Brewing TV. I’m sure most people don’t think about how much time & effort goes in to planning, filming, and editing a 20-minute video. I really appreciate you taking the time to keep this going.

    Second, your timing was perfect on the yeast washing video! I was just about to bail on yeast washing because I was never convinced my cakes were big enough to carry on for more generations. Now I’ll no longer be afraid to drop $7-$8 bucks on yeast for a 3 gallon batch.

    Lastly, getting a merch site going here is a KILLER idea! You, Dawson, and Keeler seem to have the perfect combination of skill sets to pull it off. The three of you could probably put together a very successful brewing site, something I am sure (or I’m hoping?) you have discussed. If you have doubts, look no farther than James and Steve from Basic Brewing. I like their concept, and I watch their videos and listen to the podcasts when the topic is interesting. But you three can reach a different (more hip?) crowd, and you should be able to kill.

    You guys are still inspiring us. Keep it up! Oh, and big ups to a homie from the Dirty South going toe-to-toe with the Midwest brewers!

  50. Hopkins

    I would love to see you do a brew day with Dawson & Chris Paynes. Paynes seems to be on his level of technical aptitude. It would be interesting to see them explain the logic behind their recipe and brew day decisions; i.e. using rice to cut down on “long dextrins”(?!) Really glad you are back on the scene!

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